In reaction to Tehran’s “unfriendly act” of supplying combat drones to Russia, Ukraine said on Friday that it had withdrawn the accreditation of Iran’s ambassador in Kiev and would “seriously reduce” the number of diplomats stationed there.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that providing weapons to Moscow “directly contradicts the position of neutrality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, publicly declared by the top leadership of Iran,” calling it “an unfriendly act that deals a serious blow to Ukraine-Iran relations.”
The Iranian charge d’affaires was informed of the decision to withdraw the accreditation and deport an undefined number of diplomats on Friday evening. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defense ministry said that it had destroyed six “Iranian-provided Russian kamikaze drones.”
Social media has been flooded with images and videos purporting to show Russian soldiers in Ukraine employing a kamikaze drone called Geran-2 (Geranium), which is similar to the Iranian-made Shahed-136. Unverified footage from Odessa on Friday shows Ukrainian soldiers pulling out a different kind of drone from the Black Sea. According to reports, the drone resembles the Mohajer-6 observation station.
Iran has always disputed US allegations that it sold attack drones to Russia, which were made public in July. The Kremlin referred to stories in US media concerning drone shipments as “information stuffing” at the end of August, but said that ties with Iran were “growing dynamically” and would continue to do so.
Washington has also given Ukraine thousands of Switchblade tactical kamikaze drones, as well as the Phoenix Ghost model, which was allegedly quickly customized to Kiev’s requirements, in addition to missiles and artillery.
Kiev has also bought numerous strike drones from Baykar Makina in Turkey. Additionally, Ukraine wants to construct its own facility to manufacture the Bayraktar and Akinci UAVs. According to reports, Baykar, which is co-owned by the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has sworn “never” to supply drones to Russia. Despite this, Moscow continues to retain diplomatic ties with Ankara.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Russia Fires Barrage of North Korean Missiles at Kyiv After US Visit
- Ex-Wagner fighters Join Free Russia Army's Battle to Liberate Russia from Putin Occupation
- Putin says NATO Troops are already in Ukraine But Russia is Still Winning
- EU to use Russian assets to buy arms for Ukraine
- France will Send its Army to Defend Ukraine against Russia Soon
Loading ...
